Thursday, April 12, 2012

5 Questions with Brie Felnagle

Today we have 5 Questions with a fellow Tar Heel alumni who exemplifies the versatility that Chapel Hill breeds; she's been on the cover of Runner's World and is a pro at Words With Friends. After an excellent showing at the Stanford Invitational last week, she'll run a full schedule this spring in preparation for the Olympic Trials in June.

Brie Felnagle has been part of the national scene for almost ten years now, from finishing second at Nike Team Nationals and sixth at Foot Locker in high school to winning a national championship in the 1500 and finishing fourth in Cross Country at the University of North Carolina. She had a strong first season as a professional, running for Adidas, last year, finishing seventh in the 1500 at USATF Nationals and then winning Club Cross in the fall. She just missed the 5000 A Standard by 2.39 seconds in a strong season opener at Stanford and looks to be on track for her best season yet. Follow Brie on Twitter here.

5 Questions with Brie Felnagle

1. Writing About Running: Congrats on the big PR at Stanford. You slowly worked your way through the pack and finished strong. Was that the strategy all along?

Brie Felnagle: Thank you. I did not know exactly where my fitness was. I had not raced since December and was fighting injury for most of February. I had been at altitude for the month prior to Stanford and because workout times are adjusted up there, I just didn't know what to expect. So I went out conservatively and moved as I felt better throughout the race.

Brie in her Tar Heel days

2. Writing About Running: The transition back to the west coast seems to be going well. What have been the biggest changes in "heading home?"

Brie Felnagle: The biggest change in heading home is not having school! There is so much time in the day. It took me awhile to get the hang of making good use of that time and setting a schedule for myself. I have gotten much better at that this year and I think it has helped.

Brie Felnagle: Club cross was a lot of fun because it was a local meet. Several of my training partners got to run with me, which made it feel like a team experience. I have missed cross country a lot since college, especially the team part. It was also great strength training for track season later in the spring.

Felnagle's "fans"

4. Writing About Running: I saw fellow Tar Heel, Addie Bracy, recently and she told me about yalls training trip to Mexico. How did that come about and who all was involved?

Brie Felnagle: Mexico was where we were altitude training before Stanford. It is in San Luis Potosi, which has an amazing training facility that includes housing and food. There were four of us: Addie, myself, Jake Schmitt from University of Washington, and Kim Conley from UC Davis. The weather was amazing (especially since it was the worst March on record in Washington) and we got a lot out of the trip. Mental toughness included.

5. Writing About Running: What else do you have on the schedule this spring? Have you decided between the 1500 and the 5000 at the trials?